In Koby's eyes, anyone who could speak to Garp like that had to be at least on the same level as him, or perhaps even higher.
One look at Koby's dumbstruck face was enough for Amon to know exactly what he was thinking, but he did not bother exposing it.
In terms of status, he really could not compare to Garp. Still, he had never cared much about things like that.
If he had, then back at Cocoyasi Village, he would have gone off with those two old men, Garp and Sengoku.
Then Amon glanced at Koby and asked, "Do you want to test the power of the Marine Six Powers?"
Just a few minutes ago, after learning the Marine Six Powers, Koby had been itching to try them out, only for Amon to interrupt him.
Now they had to wait for Garp to arrive anyway, so Amon figured he might as well let the kid test things properly.
"Yes, Mr. Amon."
Koby answered respectfully.
"But... how do I test it?"
He scratched his head, looking embarrassed.
To test its power, he needed an opponent. Otherwise, there would be no way to tell what was so amazing about it.
But here, aside from himself, only Amon was around. There was no chance he would dare make a move on Amon, so for a moment he had no idea what to do.
"Don't rush. Someone will come soon and let you test it."
Amon smiled faintly as he looked in the direction revealed by his Observation Haki, where a group of pirates was advancing aggressively.
"Huh?"
Koby was left completely confused by that cryptic remark.
What did he mean, someone would come let him test it?
"You brat!"
Just as Koby was still trying to figure it out, a hideous fat woman covered in freckles came stomping toward him, carrying an enormous iron mace and looking fierce enough to eat him alive.
The moment he saw her, Koby nearly wet himself in fright.
It was Alvida.
He had been targeted by her earlier, and the only reason he had run was because he refused to be dragged off and enslaved.
At this point in time, Alvida had not yet eaten the devil Fruit. She was still fat and ugly enough to make people sick at a glance.
"I-I..."
Koby froze in terror.
He had even forgotten that his strength had just increased dramatically. His first instinct was to give in and beg.
Then Amon's voice suddenly rang out from the side.
"Koby, tell her you want to send this ugly woman flying."
"Ugly... ugly woman?!"
The pirates who had come with Alvida nearly lost their souls on the spot the moment they heard those words.
Because the thing Alvida hated most in the world was being called an ugly woman.
Though she was hideous, she firmly believed herself to be the most beautiful woman in the world. Every single time someone dared call her ugly, she exploded with fury.
Sure enough, Alvida was already angry to begin with, and now, after hearing those words, her face twisted violently with rage.
"You... you actually dare call me an ugly woman! I'll tear you to pieces today!"
As she roared, she swung the giant mace in her hand with howling force, looking like she wanted to devour Koby alive.
Koby started trembling all over.
"A-Alvida, I... I..."
His nature had always been cowardly. Faced with Alvida in this state, he was even more terrified.
Amon frowned slightly and grabbed him before he could retreat.
"Koby, did you already forget that you've learned the Marine Six Powers and Observation Haki? What are you scared of? Isn't this the perfect opponent to test the Marine Six Powers on?"
"Besides, your dream is to become a Marine Admiral. If a tiny pirate like this can scare you into this state, then don't bother joining the Marines at all."
"Or was all that talk about becoming an Admiral just something you said casually?"
Those words struck Koby like a blow to the head.
"R-right... I'm someone who wants to become a Marine Admiral. I can't be afraid."
After Amon's sharp rebuke, Koby's eyes gradually firmed.
His hands and feet were still trembling uncontrollably, but that came from years of fear buried deep inside him. If he wanted to break free of it, he had to defeat it himself.
Otherwise, he would probably remain a coward for the rest of his life.
Fortunately, while Koby's limbs still shook, his heart had already begun to steady.
Seeing Alvida charging toward him with that iron mace raised high, Koby clenched his teeth, shut his eyes, and kicked out with a Tempest Kick.
Under the powerful control granted by Observation Haki, Koby's kick struck Alvida's mace with perfect accuracy.
The force of the blow was immense.
Caught completely off guard, Alvida was kicked flying on the spot.
"S-so strong... I-I'm sorry!"
Koby first stared in shock at his own power, then, after seeing Alvida sent flying by his kick, instinctively blurted out an apology.
Even though he had just kicked her away, fear still lingered in him.
That apology, however, only enraged Alvida even further. She took it as mockery.
"Koby!"
With a shriek full of rage, she charged again, bringing her iron mace smashing down without the slightest mercy.
But after sending Alvida flying with that first blow, Koby had gained a good deal of confidence.
So when Alvida attacked again, his handling of the situation was far better than before.
"Shave."
Because he wanted to test the Marine Six Powers properly, Koby did not rush to counterattack. Instead, he used Shave to move at high speed, slipping past the range of Alvida's mace.
"Koby!"
Driven into a full frenzy, Alvida stared at Koby as he darted around everywhere, then swung her mace wildly again and again, determined to smash him flat.
"Paper Art."
After repeatedly dodging Alvida's attacks, Koby's performance improved more and more.
Facing her iron mace, he no longer panicked. He calmly used Paper Art, swaying around her attacks like a leaf in the wind.
The more he tested it, the more he felt just how powerful the Marine Six Powers really were.
And the more he felt that power, the more excited he became.
Again and again, he used Shave and Paper Art to dodge Alvida's attacks.
Alvida, meanwhile, grew increasingly frantic as none of her strikes could hit him.
Her fat body was soon covered in sweat from all the wild movement.
"Koby... Koby actually dodged Captain Alvida's attacks?"
The underlings of the Alvida Pirates stood to the side, completely dumbfounded.
None of them had expected Koby to become this strong.